Amy Kelly

Training Institute: TAFE NSW- Hunter Institute, Hamilton Campus
Formal Qualification: Certificate III in Food Processing (Retail Baking – Cake & Pastry)
WorldSkills History:
Regional Competition 2011: Gold
National Competition 2012: Gold

About me:
As I was growing up I always loved cooking and baking cakes, especially birthday cakes. During year 9 and 10 I enrolled in Food Technology to develop my skills further. In year 10 I chose to do work experience at a bakery and from there I decided that I wanted to be a pastry chef.

Towards the end of year 12 I started working at Ludo’s Gourmet Patisserie, the owners knew how passionate I was about the industry so once I completed my HSC they offered me an apprenticeship, I have been working there ever since.

My long-term goal is to attain a management or leadership role in a business, continue creating products of a high standard and possibly one day open my own patisserie.

What I enjoy most about baking?
One of the things I most enjoy about baking is that I can create a product that people will enjoy. I am able to make things that look and taste delicious as well as products that help people celebrate significant moments in their life such as birthdays, engagements, weddings and christenings.

I also love that my job is very hands on, being able to be creative and continuously developing my skills and techniques using new equipment allows me to create innovative products.

How has WorldSkills Australia helped me?
WorldSkills has had a significant impact on me personally, I have been pushed to learn more and have gained experiences I never thought were possible.

Being able to compete at a National Competition was such an amazing experience, which has increased my confidence and my ability to complete tasks efficiently in high pressure situations.

Professionally, WorldSkills Australia has seen me learn new skills and techniques which have helped me to create better products. I am looking forward to even further developing my skills through the BBM scholarship.

What type of work experience would you like to undertake in the UK?
I would like to undertake a variety of work experience in order to be exposed to different products and techniques. I am hoping to be able to undertake work experience both in a five star hotel as well as a local patisserie in order to gain as much exposure to new and different techniques as possible.

What I would like to get out of this work experience?
Working in Europe will provide me with the opportunity to see the highest standard of cakes and pastry the industry has to offer. I hope the knowledge I gain through my experience will be something I can keep with me for a lifetime, and also bring back to Australia. In the future I hope that programs such as BBM will assist in bringing higher quality products to Australia and in turn closing the gap between European and Australian standards.